Passion Pit • Arden Jones • August 11, 2026 • The Complex
Reviewed and Photographed by Morgan Newbold
Tuesday night, August 11, in Salt Lake City, Passion Pit played a wonderful show at The Complex on their ‘The Pretty Penny Tour’! They were originally set to play in April, but that show was sadly postponed. Fans were eagerly waiting for their return, which absolutely paid off because the energy in the room was so joyful! The last time they played here was 2019! The crowd showed up early for the opener, Arden Jones, and hung out chatting with increasing excitement as showtime neared!
Passion Pit is an indie-pop project formed in 2007 by frontman and keyboardist Michael Angelakos, who’s from Massachusetts. The touring group currently consists of Michael, Chris Hartz on drums, Aaron Harrison Folb on bass and synthesiser, Giuliano Pizzulo on guitar and synthesiser, and Ray Suen on guitars and synthesiser. They are a synthy band!!
When Michael wrote and recorded the first EP, it gained a lot of popularity while he was in college! He was approached by Ian Hultquist, and Passion Pit was formed. They had quite a few founding and touring members from 2009-2014, who were later replaced with the current touring members. The first full album, ‘Manners’, released in 2009, gained a ton of commercial success. It was followed up by ‘Gossamer ‘ in 2012, ‘Kindred’ in 2015, and then ‘Tremendous Sea of Love’ was released in 2017! Passion Pit has still toured throughout the years after their 4th album.
Arden Jones
The show was opened by the young pop artist Arden Jones, from California. He became really popular when his song ‘Parallel Parking’ went viral on TikTok in 2020. Then he signed with Atlantic Records, putting out EP’s frequently! Jones has a strong fanbase now and great energy. He seemed very sweet and wholesome!
Passion Pit
The stage setup for Passion Pit was FULL of several keyboards, drums, and synthesizers for each of the 5 band members. The crowd shrieked with excitement when the band humbly walked on stage and smiled at the room. Everyone seemed to have a genuine and sentimental attachment to the band, specifically Michael, and his energy reflected gratitude for all those who came to witness this wonderful show! They opened with The Reelings and Make Light, songs from their debut album, and then played a mix of hits from Gossamer and a bunch of new songs!
The energy in the room was so infectious; hands were in the air, and people were jumping throughout the whole thing. Michael’s intense joy for playing music was shown on his face, and as beads of sweat dripped down his head, he smiled into the crowd. He sat at his keyboard for most of the show.
Towards the middle of the set, he got up and walked from end to end of the stage, throwing his arms out to the crowd for them to belt the chorus of some of the fan-favorite songs! The newer songs they played included Everything’s Stephanie, Remembering You, Once Upon Your Balcony, and Brothers to the End. The audience loved them! When the band played Sleepyhead, I watched from the back of the room knowing that the energy was going to be ecstatic. Every hand was in the air, and people were jumping for the entire song, with barely any phones in sight.
For the encore, Michael came out to play a couple of acoustic numbers that were so lovely and such a stark contrast to the rest. I sat in front of the stage and watched with reverence. The songs were gentle and so beautiful. Then the band came back out and finished the night with Alone and Sleepyhead once more!
Although it’s been a while since there’s been new music, Michael and his band still have an incredible passion for putting on a great show. It is so wholesome to watch them do their thing and have a good time! Definitely a good show to catch as they continue on their A Pretty Penny Tour this summer!